------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
------------------
Chapter 64: The Assault on Yeonpyeong Island (1)
The memory read from the [Broken Kronos' Pocket Watch].
The first scene Memento showed was an island.
A land that had become the domain of monsters due to erosion.
Among them, figures wearing tattered hoods began to disembark from a cargo ship.
'The Individuality Monster Hunters.'
A group that commanded and controlled monsters, treating humans like livestock.
The monster hunters walked towards the center of the island, heading for the ruins of a collapsed cathedral.
They stood before an altar made of rough stones.
- Accept the offerings we bring and share your great power.
One man shouted, and the others followed suit.
Countless corpses were placed on the altar.
Blood flowed from the bodies of what appeared to be over a hundred humans, seeping into the altar.
Whoosh—!
A green energy surged from the center of the altar.
The power of the constellation, called [Aura], spread out and soon enveloped the entire altar.
[2027/12/5]
[You have read the memories of Yeonpyeong Island.]
Thud—
His vision returned to normal.
It was still dark because he was inside the Pantheon, but Yoojin blinked several times, lost in the lingering aftertaste.
〔Contractor. Tell me your impressions.〕
'I won't call you an incompetent constellation anymore.'
〔Khahahahahaha! That's a satisfactory answer!〕
Kronos laughed heartily.
He seemed even more pleased than when he regained his starlight.
'You must have really hated that.'
Heh, maybe I should've played hard to get for a bit longer.
Seeing Kronos' intense reaction, he felt like he had found another thing to tease him about.
'Come to think of it, didn't you say you needed a temple?'
〔Oh? You remembered.〕
'I am a Saint, after all.'
〔Khaha! If there is a temple to offer praise and tribute to me, my starlight will become even stronger.〕
'That's good.'
Yoojin smiled.
He had to go build a temple dedicated to his incompetent—no, his constellation.
〔Your intentions are noble, but you cannot build a temple just anywhere.〕
'Does your Lordship also have preferences for geomancy?'
〔First, it is important whether or not it is a sacred ground where you can receive the constellation's energy.〕
'What's next?'
〔You must consider my origin, nature, and the domain I govern.〕
The scene shown by [Memento] was a month in the future and a reality that had not yet happened.
'I've found a place for your Lordship to settle down, so trust me.'
Yoojin chuckled and left the Pantheon.
＊ ＊ ＊
Returning to Ground Zero, Yoojin headed towards the center of the ruins.
Relatively intact buildings.
More precisely, buildings constructed after Ground Zero was established stood tall.
They were buildings erected after the black market settled in.
"It's nice to see you again, Yoojin-nim."
"You look well, Mr. Black."
"Haha. Thanks to you, I have a lot of work to do. I've been working overtime."
Mr. Black gave a pointed reply to Yoojin's joke.
"You take the credit when your subordinates do the work."
"I'm the one who chose those friends. I have that right."
"Are you claiming rights from me?"
Yoojin leaned back in his chair and sat down leisurely.
"That's not what I meant."
To hold a grudge just because he countered a single compliment about looking well.
If it weren't for his blunder after the meeting, he wouldn't have yielded any further, Mr. Black thought with a bitter taste in his mouth.
"You must be busy. What brings you here?"
"You know what I said at the meeting. I'm about to get started."
"That statement sounds like you're going to attack the monster hunters."
"I'm not picking a fight already. I'm just going to test the waters."
Yoojin pointed to the map on the table.
Where his finger was pointing.
"Yeonpyeong Island? It seems you've already heard the rumors."
Rumors?
Yoojin didn't know anything about that.
"The monster hunters are interested in it, right?"
"That's right. We've been having trouble with Yeonpyeong Island."
It seemed he hit the mark by throwing it out there while recalling the events before the regression he saw with Memento.
"What are the monster hunters' movements like?"
"It seems it's not easy for them since they have to cross the sea."
The main force of the Kaesong monster hunters were ogres and trolls.
They were bulky monsters, so transporting them on a small boat was impossible.
A single ogre alone weighed several tons.
They needed at least a cargo ship for stable transportation, but the monster hunters didn't have the resources yet.
"Not yet, huh?"
"There's also the possibility of them contacting the Nine Dragons' Hall."
"Those guys are useless anyway."
"You don't have to worry too much. It's just a possibility."
No.
My friend.
'It's not a possibility, it's real.'
In the future he saw with [Memento] and [Kronos' Broken Pocket Watch], a cargo ship was clearly docked there.
If he delayed, the monster hunters would take action in earnest.
He had to get his hands on Yeonpyeong Island before that.
"I need a boat to get to Yeonpyeong Island."
"We have a speedboat used for smuggling."
"Give it to me now."
"Understood."
Mr. Black lent him the boat without complaint.
A sleek speedboat.
Not long after leaving the lower Imjin River, they entered the sea and headed west, cutting through the waves.
"That island you see over there is Yeonpyeong Island."
One of the five West Sea islands.
Before the Cataclysm, it was a strategic point defending the West Sea from the former North Korea.
The island was quite large, capable of accommodating about 2,000 residents and a military unit of 2,000-3,000 soldiers.
It bordered Hwanghae Province to the north, making it a geographically strategic island.
"That's all in the past. After the Cataclysm, it became an island of monsters."
The captain steering the speedboat grumbled.
"How many monsters are there?"
"There are swarms of them on the coast, so I can't even guess."
Considering the area, there were at least a thousand units.
Even if it didn't exceed 10,000, it was still a significant number.
"Get closer."
"Understood."
Splash—!
The speedboat cut through the waves and approached the southern part of the island.
"Clack, clack."
"Clack. Food."
Reptilian monsters swarmed the coastline.
Their yellow pupils, slit amidst green scales, scattered an ominous light.
2.5 meters tall.
The monsters, prowling bare-bodied without weapons or armor, glared at Yoojin.
"Are those Reriks?"
"Uh, uh."
"Don't be scared."
"Those monsters also have ranged attacks."
As soon as the captain finished speaking, the bellies of the Reriks with darker scales swelled up.
[Fire Breath]
Fireballs flew in, tracing parabolas in the air.
Dozens of ranged attacks poured down on the speedboat.
"There are always those guys who foreshadow."
Tsk tsk.
【Daring to breathe fire when you're not even a Dragon.】
"Well, they're not that strong."
The power of the flames was at the level of 2 Star Mage.
It was at a level that could be shot down in mid-air with [Bone Control].
Although the durability of his magic armaments would be greatly reduced.
"Their accuracy isn't high either."
【Indeed. If they fall like this, at most three will hit the speedboat.】
Long range, but terrible accuracy.
Even now, there were 50 fireballs flying in, but only three would hit.
The two were talking leisurely.
The captain got angry.
"Fireballs are falling right now, and all you're doing is talking!"
"Don't worry."
He had learned a holy spell suitable for this situation.
Holy power gathered in his fingertips.
[Using Unholy Shock Shield.]
An angular barrier in the shape of multiple hexagons layered on top of each other.
Although based on holy power, it had a gray hue that felt ominous.
'The defense range is 3 meters. It blocks one side instead of being spherical.'
Yoojin cast [Unholy Shock Shield] consecutively.
He created three more shields above his head, covering the speedboat.
'The casting speed depends on agility, so reaction speed. And there's no burden even when using multiple shields.'
Up to this point, it was quite useful.
Defensive holy spells were difficult to maintain multiple instances of, or the number that could be deployed simultaneously was limited.
The drawback was that the defense range was biased towards one side, not multi-directional?
'I can cover that with quantity.'
Not only was the cost-effectiveness of the holy spell excellent, but Yoojin also had a way to replenish his holy power.
The drawbacks mentioned earlier weren't a big problem.
'All that's left is to check the most important thing, the defensive power.'
With his arms crossed, he watched the fireballs fall in a curve.
Crimson flames collided with the barrier.
The color faded slightly, but it didn't break with one hit.
Bang— Bang—!
The fireballs that fell afterward relentlessly pounded the [Unholy Shock Shield] that had just been hit.
Even with the continuous attacks, the color only faded.
The holy spell bestowed by Kronos perfectly blocked the three fireballs.
"Our constellation gave me something useful."
〔Khahahaha! Are you finally realizing my greatness?!〕
Ignoring Kronos' boisterous laughter, he looked at the battlefield.
Although their first attack had failed, the Reriks swelled their bellies without a hint of panic.
"Captain. Bring the boat closer."
"Is that alright?"
"You just saw it. There's no problem."
"Understood."
The captain gulped and steered the speedboat closer to the shore.
It was about 70 meters to the landing point.
The Reriks once again spat out fireballs.
【This time, the accuracy will be about 22%.】
"How kind of you."
Yoojin muttered sarcastically as he meticulously deployed his [Unholy Shock Shield].
If the speedboat sinks, we're in trouble too, you know?
Getting wet is not an option.
Boom— Boom Boom—
The defensive barrier fixed in mid-air blocked the barrage of fireballs.
The speedboat closed the distance unimpeded.
"It's your time to shine."
【Leave it to me, Master.】
The staff in Jo Seungchul's hand.
A fireball materialized from [GB(Greybase) - R5] and flew in a straight line.
A deafening explosion.
Several Reriks clustered on the coast were caught in the blast and burned black.
【Oh. Not bad, Skeleton.】
【I have a name, Jo Seungchul.】
Grumbling, Jo Seungchul used [Quick Reload] and launched a second and third attack.
Yoojin, whose stats were limited due to his incomplete ascension, still managed to empower Jo Seungchul's fireballs to the level of a 4 Star Mage.
'It's thanks to his high stats and mana circulation.'
With Quick Reload adding arrangement speed and destructive power, his firepower alone was comparable to a 4 Star Hunter capable of [Multi-Casting].
Kaboom—! Kaaa-boom—!
Jo Seungchul, who had been pouring out fireballs without a moment's pause, lowered his arm.
【Master. I have exhausted all my mana.】
【What? Is that all?】
【Using Quick Reload increases mana consumption.】
【Eh. Master, you're useless.】
What?
He did his job well enough.
Over 30 Reriks were killed by direct hits.
If you add the number of injured, they inflicted a tremendous amount of damage in a short period.
And besides—
"Now there's plenty of corpses for a necromancer."
[Using Corpse Explosion.]
Kukuakukuakua!
Explosions erupted here and there along the coast.
Bone fragments and flesh splattered everywhere.
Over 100 were caught in the explosions and fell.
"Now, if you'll just let us off."
"Y-Yes, sir."
The pale-faced captain docked the speedboat at the pier.
Yoojin and his minions set foot on the southern part of Yeonpyeong Island.
The Reriks that had not been swept away by the corpse explosions glared at them and charged.
【Master, how about a victory buff?】
"Hold on."
Yoojin skillfully used Punishing Spike and Unholy Blessing.
[Kenex Combat Arts]
[Seventh Stance]
[Ten-Strike Flurry]
Fafnir, empowered by the buffs and the additional stat boost from the Dragon Scale Armor, pushed the Reriks back.
"Holy shit. What did I just see?"
The speedboat captain muttered, trembling.
Reriks are notoriously difficult monsters to deal with, even among 3 Star monsters.
Hunters who underestimated them for being unarmed all met with disaster.
'Their tough scales are hard to pierce even with spears and swords, and they're agile too.'
Their light bodies make them quick.
The sharpness of their claws surpasses that of most swords.
Some individuals can even launch long-range attacks, making them adaptable monsters in any situation.
'The reason Yeonpyeong Island was abandoned was because of the Reriks.'
The hunter who easily slaughtered those infamous monsters.
It was no rumor that he had annihilated half of the Red Spider's main force.
"Captain."
"Yes, sir!"
"Just leave the combat rations and go. I'll see you in five days."
"Yes, sir!"
The thoroughly disciplined captain moved the food stored on the boat and hurriedly left Yeonpyeong Island.
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
